Mounted PatrolAccording to Ray Nichols, a fourteen year veteran of
the Harris County Sheriff’s Department, the Mounted Patrol was started
under Sheriff Buster Kern in 1949. Today, there are 48 members of
the Harris County Sheriff’s Department Mounted Patrol who volunteer their
time to search for missing persons, escaped prisoners, search and rescue
missions whenever adverse weather conditions exists, riot control,
traffic, crowd control, present the colors at parades or additional security
at large group functions.

The Mounted Patrol is under the leadership of Lieutenant
Gary Look and each member must attend In-Service Training a minimum of
20 hours a year.The Sheriff’s Department supplies uniform tack for the
horses; however, each Deputy must supply their own horse, saddle, and trailer
and may be called for duty at any time. According to Deputy
Nichols, each horse can cost $250 - $500 a month for the feeding, stabling,
and vet care.

Once a horse becomes a Certified Police Horse, should
anyone cause injury to the horse, they can be filed on for assault.
The horse carries the same rights and protections as a police officer.
The horses most frequently selected for the Mounted Patrol are usually
Quarter Horses chosen for their quick learning and gentle nature.

When a horse is chosen to receive the training to go into
the Mounted Patrol, they must work many hours with the Deputy. Horses
fear the unknown, according to Deputy Nichols who has been riding since
he was two, and the deputy must gain the horse’s confidence in order to
work together as a team. The horse must be conditioned to wailing
sirens, loud or sudden noises, strange people coming up to them, and many
other unusual events. Additional training, between deputy,
and horse takes place on a regular basis to maintain peek performance at
all times.

“The Harris County Sheriff’s Department’s Mounted Patrol
has evolved from a strictly ceremonial unit to a vital part of our
law enforcement operations. We have come to depend on them for assistance
in search, rescue, and crowd control situations,” according to Sheriff Tommy Thomas

Peoples’ lives are often at stake, requiring
the rider and horse to work as one in any rescue effort. It is not
a natural instinct for a horse to work with other unfamiliar horses.
However, with the right combination of training, between deputy and horse,
these natural instincts are put aside when a job is waiting to be done.
Due to the ever presence of danger in police work, the Mounted Patrol Team
becomes very specific on their requirements from both officers and horses.
Each participant must have a bond of trust from the other. Lives
do depend upon this trust, which results from long hours of training.

The next time you see a Mounted Patrol Deputy, take a
few minutes to observe. It is fascinating to watch a well trained
horse and his rider work a crowd of people, perform a search, or direct
traffic. They work as one, each trusting the other. The
Sheriff’s Department Mounted Patrol is another example where “our quality
of life” in Harris County has improved due to the dedication of the Sheriff
Deputies and their well-trained horses.